Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer

Joe and Elie take a break from the usual format to face off in a trivia challenge. Do you know your constitutional amendments? How about your Supreme Court history? Play along at home.

Elie and Joe speak to Rick Hasen, professor at UC Irvine and author of Election Law Blog. Professor Hasen explains the recent Supreme Court redistricting case, future cases regarding voting rights, and talks about the relationship between the Roberts Court and disenfranchisement. Joe argues for hope while it seems like Elie believes we should be led by a Platonic Philosopher King.

Joe and Elie talk to Matthew Dowd, a partner at Andrews Kurth. Dowd famously represents the Meitiv family, the parents (now cleared) of child neglect charges for allowing their children, 10 and 6, to walk through their neighborhood unattended. Elie expresses concern over letting children roam free, while Joe thinks independence is key to building character and Dowd walks through the legal landscape that governs parenting in America.

Elie and Joe chat with Joshua Gilliland and Jessica Mederson of The Legal Geeks about their legal careers and the legal issues surrounding the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recorded immediately before the release of Avengers 2, they speculate on the legal issues that arise in building genocidal robots, cleaning up the aftermath of superpowered mayhem, and just how terrifying an entity like S.H.I.E.L.D. would be in real life.

Elie and Joe talk with Brian Dalton, Research Director at Above the Law, about the 2015 law school rankings published by Above the Law. The annual ranking of the Top 50 law schools in the country boasts some surprising shakeups at the top. After discussing the latest rankings, the gang discusses what really matters: what law school student body would win in a fight.

Elie and Joe sit down with Maria de Cesare, a lawyer from a major cable network, to talk about the fabulous life of an entertainment lawyer. After she stops crying, we figure out whether you should be jailed for killing a zombie, or a clone of yourself.

Elie and Joe sit down with Ryan Morrison, aka The Video Game Attorney, to discuss the emerging legal issues in the video game industry and just how many genocide treaties humans breach in every video game ever.

It's March Madness time. Or, as a person with a rudmentary respect for trademark laws would say, "It's time for the NCAA Mens College Basketball Tournament." In this episode, we take a look at running an office bracket pool. But it turns out that gambling is illegal in most states. Why is that the case? Should we live in a world where we have laws that nobody even tries to enforce? Guest Steven Silver of The Legal Blitz joins the hosts to explain how we've gotten to the point where nearly every office worker in America breaks the law every March.

In our inaugural episode, Elie and Joe take a deep dive into their own navels. What kind of person becomes a "legal blogger" in the first place? In the words of Admiral Stockdale (Google him): Who are we? Why are we here?